Footwear



Jan. 17, 1967 A. E. A. BARKER 9 5 FOOTWEAR Filed July 5, 1965 United States Patent G 3,298,116 FOOTWEAR Albert Edward Arthur Barker, Earls Barton, Northampton, England, assignor to A. Barker and Sons Limited, Northampton, England, a British company Filed July 3, 1963, Ser. No. 292,623 7 Claims. (CI. 36-17) This invention is concerned with footwear and a method of producing the same.

Although not limited in this respect, the invention is primarily intended for application to a welted shoe of the type in which a horizontal seam is used to unite the upper, with or without a lining, to the welt and the insole. The insole of a welted shoe of this type is provided on its underside with a sewing lip defining a channel to receive the stitches of the horizontal seam.

Broadly considered, the method of this invention includes the steps of (a) attaching to the underface of an insole an initially separate strip which extends wholly or partially around the marginal portion of the said insole and is folded over inwardly to provide a flap-like sewing lip adapted to define a stitch-receiving channel, (b) lasting upper material over the insole and securing the lastedover portion directly to the said sewing lip, (c) connecting the upper material to the insole solely through the medium of the folded strip by inserting stitches of a horizontal seam through the channel and (d) securing the flap-like sewing lip down flat upon the already attached portion of the folded strip so that it lies substantially flush with the underface of the insole and seals in the stitching.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to a welted shoe of the type'herein referred to, the horizontal seam is, of course, also used to unite the welt to the upper material.

The upper material may, if desired, include a lining, and the lasted-over portion of the said material may be secured to the flap-like sewing lip by means of cement, adhesive, staples or the like.

The sewing lip together with the attached upper material (with or without a lining) may-advantageously be secured down flat by means of a cement, adhesive or any other suitable means such, for example, as staples.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readily carried into practical effect, a specific example of the same as applied to a welted shoe of the type herein referred to will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein,

FIGURE 1 is a general perspective view of the said welted shoe as it appears during manufacture and prior to the application thereto of the shoe bottom,

FIGURE 2 is a detail sectional view showing, on a larger scale, a portion of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, drawn to a still larger scale, of the completed shoe.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 denotes a shaped insole which is of any selected dimension and formed, for example, of leather. Attached to the underface 1a of the insole 1, i.e. that face thereof which constitutes the underside when the completed shoe is in wear, is an initially separate folded strip such as that indicated at 2. The strip 2 is folded to a substantially U or V section, its limb 2a being secured as by means of an adhesive flat upon the peripheral margin of the underface 1a whilst the adjoining limb 2b, which is inwardly directed, is left free to provide a flap-like sewing lip. Thus, the strip 2 is folded over inwardly and, in the embodiment illustrated, it extends from the waist of the insole coInpletely around the forepart of the latter.

As will be appreciated, with the folded strip 2 in position and the insole 1 applied to the seat of a last, the upper "ice material indicated at 3, together with a lining 4, is lasted over the insole and the lasted-over margins are secured to the flap-like sewing lip 2b (see FIGURE 2). The tension exerted at this stage on the sewing lip 2b by the upper material 3 and the lining 4 is effective to lift the said lip away from the underface 1a of the insole 1 thereby to provide a channel C capable of receiving and accommodating stitching.

Thereafter, the upper (comprising, in the illustrated example, the main upper material 3 and the lining 4), the insole 1 and a welt 5 are all united by a common horizontal chainstitch seam 6 the individual stitches of which are indicated at 7 and are inserted through and accommodated in the stitch-receiving channel C. The aforementioned displacement of the tensioned sewing lip 2b away from the underface 1a of the insole may be suflicient to allow the machine sewing or stitching operation to take place, but if it is not it will at least assist the operative in raising the flap-like lip sufiiciently to allow for the stitching to be effected.

After the stitching operation, and without any trimming away of the upper material 3 and the lining 4, the lip 2b is sealed. down by means of an adhesive or any other suitable means so that it will lie substantially flush with the underface 1a.

Finally, bottom filling 8 is incorporated into the shallow space between the untrimmed edges of the lastedover margins of the upper, and an outer sole 9 is stuck on to the flush undersurfaces of the said lasted-over margins, the welt 5 a-nd the bottom filling 8 (see FIGURE 3).

An insole having secured thereto a folded strip as herein described thus provides a sewing lip which can be collapsed to a fiat condition and used to seal in the stitches of the horizontal seam, thereby rendering the completed shoe substantially water-resistant.

By cementing or otherwise securing the upper material and the lining, if provided, to a lip of flap-like form and by not cutting such material or materials away during the course of manufacture, the number of manufacturing operations are reduced to a minimum. Also, since no grinding will be necessary, the process will be cheapened. Furthermore, the improved construction presents a substantially flat shoe bottom surface upon which an outer sole can be readily stuck.

By virtue of the invention there will also be a saving on plant or machinery as less plant will be needed to produce welted footwear.

I claim:

1. A method of producing a welted shoe comprising the steps of attaching to the underface of an insole an initially separate strip which extends around the marginal portion of at least the waist and the forepait of the said insole and is folded over inwardly to provide an initially free-fiap-like sewing lip; lasting upper material over the insole and securing the lasted-over margin to the said sewing lip so that the tension exerted on the latter will lift the same away from the underface of the insole thereby to provide a channel capable of accommodating stitching; uniting the upper material, a welt and the insole With the upper material and Welt having their undersurfaces in a common plane by inserting stitches. of a horizontal chainstitch seam solely through the aforementioned channel, the upper material and the welt without the stitches passing through any part of the insole; securing the flap-like sewing lip down fiat upon the already attached portion of the folded strip to seal in the chainstitching; incorporating bottom filling in the shallow space between the lastedover margins of the upper; and sticking an outer sole onto the undersurfaces of the said lasted-over margins, the welt and the bottom filling.

2. A method of producing a welted shoe according to claim 1 wherein the strip is folded to a substantially V section, one limb of the said strip being secured to the marginal portion of the underface of the insole and the other limb constituting the inwardly directed flap-like sewing lip.

3. A method of producing a welted shoe comprising the steps of attaching to the underface of an insole an initially separate strip which extends around the marginal portion of at least the waist and the forepart of the said insole and is folded over inwardly to provide an initially free flap-like sewing lip; lasting upper material over the insole and securing the lasted-over margin to the said sewing lip so that the tension exerted on the latter will lift the same away from the underface of the insole thereby toprovide a channel capable of accommodating stitching; uniting the upper material, a Welt and the insole with the upper material and welt having their undersurfaces in a common plane by inserting stitches of a horizontal chainstitch seam solely through the aforementioned channel, the upper material and the welt without the stitches passing through any part of the insole; folding the flap-like sewing lip down flat upon the already attached portion of the folded strip to seal in the chainstitching; incorporating bottom filling in the shallow space between the lasted-over margins of the upper; and sticking an outer sole onto the undersurfaces of the said lasted-over margins, thewelt and the bottom filling.

4. A welted shoe construction comprising: an insole; a folded strip attached to the underface of theinsole and extending around the marginal portion of at least the waist and the forepart of said insole, said strip being folded flat so as to have the fold edge extend along and adjacent the margin of the insole with the two limbs formed by the fold extending inwardly therefrom, the

the lasted-over upper material and being united with the upper material'and the insole by horizontal stitches passing solely'through the welt, the upper material and the fold of said folded strip Without any stitches passing through said insole; bottom filling in the shallow space between the lasted-over margins of the upper material; and an outer sole adhered onto the undersurfaces of the said lasted-over margins, the welt, and the bottom filling.

5. A welted shoe construction as set forth in claim 4 wherein the upper and lower limbs of said folded strip are secured together to seal in said horizontal stitches which pass through the fold.

6. A method of producing a welted shoe comprising the steps of attaching to the underface of an insole an initially separate strip which extends around the marginal po rtior1 .,.0f,atleast the .Waist and the forepartof the said insole and is folded over inwardly to provide an initially free flap-like sewing lip; lasting upper material over the insole and securing the lasted-over margin to the said sewing lip so that the tension exerted on the latter will lift the same away from the underface of the insole thereby to'provide a channel capable of accommodating stitching; uniting the upper material, a welt and the insole with the upper material and welt having their undersurfaces in a common plane by inserting stitches of a horizontal chainstitch seam solely through the aforementioned channel, the uppermaterial and the welt without the stitches passing through any part of the insole; securing the-flaplike sewing lip down flat upon the already attached portion of the folded strip to seal in the chainstitching; and sticking an outer sole onto the undersurfaces of the said lasted-over margins, the welt and the bottom surface encompassed thereby.

7. A method of producing a welted shoe comprising the steps of attaching to the underface of an insole an initially separate strip which extends around the marginal portion of at least the waist and the forepart of the said insole, and is folded over inwardly to provide an initially free-like sewing lip; lasting upper material over the insole and securing the lasted-over margin to the said sewing lip so that the tension exerted on the latter will lift the same away from he underface of the insole thereby provide a channel capable of accommodating stitching; uniting the upper material, a welt and the insole with the upper material and welt having their undersurfaces in a common plane by inserting stitches of a horizontal chainstitch seam solely through the aforementioned channel, the upper material and the welt without the stitches passing through any part of the insole; folding the flap-like sewing lip down fiat upon the already attached portion of the folded strip to seal in the chainstitching; and sticking an outer sole onto the undersurfaces of the said lasted-over margins, the welt and the bottom surface encompassed thereby.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,345,372 3/1944 Ayers l2-142 2,832,975 5/1958 Pearsall et a1 12--142 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,119,560 6/1956 France.

809,142 5/1951 Germany.

PATRICK D.,LA WSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A METHOD OF PRODUCING A WELTED SHOE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF ATTACHING TO THE UNDERFACE OF AN INSOLE AN INITIALLY SEPARATE STRIP WHICH EXTENDS AROUND THE MARGINAL PORTION OF AT LEAST THE WAIST AND THE FOREPART OF THE SAID INSOLE AND IS FOLDED OVER INWARDLY TO PROVIDE AN INITIALLY FREE-FLAP-LIKE SEWING LIP; LASTING UPPER MATERIAL OVER THE INSOLE AND SECURING THE LASTED-OVER MARGIN TO THE SAID SEWING LIP SO THAT THE TENSION EXERTED ON THE LATTER WILL LIFT THE SAME AWAY FROM THE UNDERFACE OF THE INSOLE THEREBY TO PROVIDE A CHANNEL CAPABLE OF ACCOMMODATING STITCHING; UNITING THE UPPER MATERIAL, A WELT AND THE INSOLE WITH THE UPPER MATERIAL AND WELT HAVING THEIR UNDERSURFACES IN A COMMON PLANE BY INSERTING STITCHES OF A HORIZONTAL CHAINSTITCH SEAM SOLELY THROUGH THE AFOREMENTIONED CHANNEL, THE UPPER MATERIAL AND THE WELT WITHOUT THE STITCHES PASSING THROUGH ANY PART OF THE INSOLE; SECURING THE FLAP-LIKE SEWING LIP DOWN FLAT UPON THE ALREADY ATTACHED PORTION OF THE FOLDED STRIP TO SEAL IN THE CHAINSTITCHING; INCORPORATING BOTTOM FILLING IN THE SHALLOW SPACE BETWEEN THE LASTEDOVER MARGINS OF THE UPPER; AND STICKING AN OUTER SOLE ONTO THE UNDERSURFACES OF THE SAID LASTED-OVER MARGINS, THE WELT AND THE BOTTOM FILLING.
 4. A WELTED SHOE CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING: AN INSOLE; A FOLDED STRIP ATTACHED TO THE UNDERFACE OF THE INSOLE AND EXTENDING AROUND THE MARGINAL PORTION OF AT LEAST THE WAIST AND THE FOREPART OF SAID INSOLE, SAID STRIP BEING FOLDED FLAT SO AS TO HAVE THE FOLD EDGE EXTEND ALONG AND ADJACENT THE MARGIN OF THE INSOLE WITH THE TWO LIMBS FORMED BY THE FOLD EXTENDING INWARDLY THEREFROM, THE UPPER LIMB BEING ATTACHED TO THE INSOLE; UPPER MATERIAL LASTED-OVER THE INSOLE AND EXTENDING UNDER AND SECURED TO THE LOWER LIMB OF SAID FOLDED STRIP; A WELT HAVING ITS UNDERSURFACE LYING IN A COMMON PLANE WITH THE UNDERSURFACE OF THE LASTED-OVER UPPER MATERIAL AND BEING UNITED WITH THE UPPER MATERIAL AND THE INSOLE BY HORIZONTAL STITCHES PASSING SOLELY THROUGH THE WELT, THE UPPER MATERIAL AND THE FOLD OF SAID FOLDED STRIP WITHOUT ANY STITCHES PASSING THROUGH SAID INSOLE; BOTTOM FILLING IN THE SHALLOW SPACE BETWEEN THE LASTED-OVER MARGINS OF THE UPPER MATERIAL; AND AN OUTER SOLE ADHERED ONTO THE UNDERSURFACES OF THE SAID LASTED-OVER MARGINS, THE WELT, AND THE BOTTOM FILLING. 